As part of our commitment to Growing Community in our Church Development Plan, St James’ PCC have prioritised our Eco Church agenda.
“To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” (from the Anglican 5 Marks of Mission)
We have established a new team of interested people to lead and advise the PCC and progress ECO initiatives/projects. We have now gained accreditation – the silver awards with A Rocha. You can visit their website for more information about Eco Church initiatives across the UK.
Reducing our Carbon Emissions – heating, lighting and energy
Following consultations, surveys and church planning (faculty) we have begin work to replace our incredibly old church boiler with a brand new, specifically designed alternative. Working with Worcester Bosch (who have designed and manufactured A rated condensing boilers suitable for St James’) and Pro-Boiler of Esher, our new system will deliver year-round savings on energy bills as well as significantly reduce carbon emissions. Unfortunately, we were advised that a heat pump alterative is not presently suitable for our building Victoria Gothic church, which is built with sandstone, and can’t be retro-fitted with insulation. But as technology advances we hope to look again at possible alternatives to gas and insulation options.
So the new gas-fired lower carbon system will run throughout the winter months at a lower level than before, aiming to keep St James building and fabric at no lower than 10 Celsius, with the system heating the church to around 17 Celsius for Sunday worship or specific larger midweek services. Not only does maintaining the temperature of the stone building reduce our overall consumption of gas, but it will enable much better management of the church stonework, reducing the impact of weather upon the structure of the building. A win-win! And the inside of St James’ will never get very cold, or at least that is the aim. Special temperature stats fitted inside and outside control the system, allowing the new boilers to work harden when the temperature drops outside, maintaining the constant temperature inside. In addition to the new boilers and control system, we are in the process of seeking permission to replace some dated fan assisted radiators and move others under windows to further increase the effectiveness of the heat generated.
Secondly, we have installed electric under carpet heat pads, initially for the whole of All Soul’s Chapel and the East Chapel. These are run with green electricity and are controlled in each location with up to two hours use per session. Not only does this approach help us reduce our carbon footprint, but also we are determined to provide warm spaces for the people who live and work in Weybridge Town Centre.
The next phase of reducing our carbon footprint is to further investigate solar electric generation systems for the parish centre and church (south) facing roof spaces.
We have engaged Everyone’s Energy, who are the preferred supplier in the Surrey Solar Together scheme. They will be surveying our structures and drawing up the plans for a possible solar scheme at St James’ which we hope will include battery storage. We may need to raise 20k or more to enable this work to be completed and will keep this page updated with more information, survey results and the planning (faculty) process if the PCC agree to proceed with this further.
Eco Eats – our Summer Eco Church Initiative 2024
With the help of the Weybridge Allotment Holders and Gardeners Association (WAHGA) we have been able to expand the summer vegetable and fruit ‘exchange’ stall which aims to reduce waste and share resources locally. Basically, some people donate left over or additional produce and others collect it for FREE. We seek to reduce waste and share more with our neighbours in the community.
In conjunction with Weybridge Land Charities (and others) we are also in the initial stages of researching possible options to house a community fridge for Weybridge Town Centre at St James’. This could also dovetail with our Runnymede and Weybridge Foodbank Sessions. Watch this space as our Eco initiatives grow!
We plan to use more social media to draw upon a possible wider community of support for Eco Church beyond the congregation and to share our values, as we want to help others reduce their carbon footprint too.
Would you like to know more? If so, do contact Revd Barry Hengist who Chairs our Eco Church team. barryhengist@gmail.com